Materials Science
Program

Taking on global-scale issues faced by humankind from the perspective of materials development

Features of the program

This program trains students to become talented specialists with a firm grounding of knowledge in physics and chemistry and the ability to understand materials development at atomic and molecular levels.
It equips students with the capability to respond to various issues from the perspective of materials development and lead the field of materials development in the future.
We develop state-of-the-art materials with the aim of treating the earth with care and contributing to the development of humankind, as well as solving the global-scale issues currently faced by humankind in the fields of energy, the environment, and resources.

Program of education

The curriculum, with a firm basis in physics and chemistry, is formulated with the aim of achieving the fundamental principles of the program. It allows students to study materials science through a staged approach that transcends the conventional boundaries of the discipline. The graduate program enables students to develop a fundamental grounding upon which to acquire the knowledge and skills involved in state-of-the-art materials development.

Introduction to classes

Materials Science Laboratory Work I/II

Materials Science Laboratory Work is a twice-weekly laboratory work program lasting half of the academic year (two terms). The program covers areas such as electromagnetic and optical properties of substances, structural analysis of crystals, creation of control system programs, metal plating, the structural analysis, decomposition, and recovery of polymers, enzymes, the electrophoresis of proteins, semiconductor devices and electronic circuits, and materials testing. This allows students to cover a wide range of fields such as physics, chemistry, biotechnology, electronics, and mechanics, as well as having the opportunity to receive instruction from faculty members who are experts in each field.
By engaging in such a diverse range of laboratory work, students come to see the outline of science and technology from a wide perspective. That outline cannot be seen when one merely studies the individual academic disciplines, and allows students to acquire unique insights regarding science and technology. Drawing on these unique insights as a basis for an extensive view of current materials science should naturally lead them to discover chances to offer a better approach. If they follow such instincts without reservation, they should be able to recognize wonderful new possibilities for materials that were formerly never even considered, and produce ideas for previously inconceivable materials and new functions.
The topics covered in laboratory work for this program are all outstanding research findings achieved by the pioneers of the past. There is a certain thrill to spending a number of hours immersed in reliving these major discoveries, making the laboratory work not only a means of preparing to produce excellent work in the future, but also a truly great experience. We hope that students will experience a rewarding student life while enjoying the good fortune of having been born in a time in which they can easily relive such discoveries, and develop into outstanding researchers and engineers.

Experiments on photoelectric effects
The synthesis of materials using photoreaction experiments

Advanced research pursued
by the program

The theoretical investigation of interesting physical properties and proposal of novel physical properties

Professor
Tetsuya Takimoto

My laboratory is part of a group pursuing research in the field of physics known as solid state physics, and my research takes a theoretical approach to the field. The aim of the research is to give theoretical explanations regarding the behavior of interesting data from physical properties experiments inside and outside the university (including overseas), and to develop theory to propose anticipated new physical properties. To put it simply, we are solving riddles and hunting treasure in the field of physical properties.
Let me briefly introduce two research results that are representative of what we have found so far, as an indication of what we may be able to achieve in our research. Incidentally, it is the electrons in matter that play the leading role in our field of research. Electrons normally have electric charge and spin (the magnetic moment of electrons) as their degrees of freedom, but if electrons in crystals are localized in places with relatively high symmetry, they may have other degrees of freedom. Normally, lowering the temperature brings order to the spin and generates magnetism, but in the above case, there is potential for functions that electrons are not normally able to possess to emerge as physical properties. This theory has in fact been applied to filled skutterudite compound PrRu4P12, thereby explaining its non-magnetic transition. Another proposal that we made from our research findings was that the well-known insulator SmB6 is a topological insulator (as the interface of the specimen is metallic, it is distinguished from normal insulators). A significant amount of experiment data supporting this proposal was subsequently published, corroborating the validity of the theory. The figure presents the calculation results of the spectrum of the surface state.

Figure: Results of using an effective model to calculate the electronic spectrum of the [001]-plane of the SmB6. The electronic state (blue lines) can be seen in the energy gap (-0.02 - 0.01).

Materials Science Program

Sasaki’s Lab. "Quantum Pulse revolutionizes MRI" Using our home-built and customized NMR equipment, we have clarified various mysteries in materials science. Since NMR is the basics for MRI, we recently came up with the idea that our cutting-edge techniques in NMR can produce innovative MRI. In collaboration with kidney department of the faculty of medicine and the brain institute of our university, we have successfully obtained a research fund from the government and the research is now going on.

The innovative function can be realized with an attachment to usual MRI equipment.

Licenses and qualifications that can be acquired

  • Licenses
    First class upper secondary school teacher's license (industry)
  • Qualifications
    Safety manager (application possible with two years of practical work experience), etc